by Rebecca Walker — November 29, 2010—Because more people work from home, the average daily commute time in the U.K. has dropped to a 10-year low of 47 minutes and 48 seconds, according to the Trades Union Congress, the union known as TUC.
Using figures from the Labour Force Survey, the TUC has calculated that 339 million worth of working time is spent travelling to and from work every day. The average time spent commuting to and from work increased each year from 1998 to 2006, reaching a record 52 minutes and 36 seconds in 2006.
But since 2006, average commute times have decreased every year by four minutes and 48 seconds. It stood at 47 minutes and 48 seconds in 2008, the latest year that times are available and the lowest level since records began 10 years ago.
“The TUC believes that the growth in home working has been one of the reasons for the fall in commute times,” a union statement said. “Between 2006 and 2008, the number of people working from home increased by 291,000, accounting for more than half of employment growth during this period.”
“After years of increasing journey times, it’s great to see that the number of hours spent commuting to work is finally falling,” TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said.
The survey also revealed that cars are still the most commonly used mode of transport for U.K., American and South African commuters.
For more information, see the TUC Web site.
